Tuesday, March 19, 2013CB Davis plans to leave Pittsburgh area
By Jared Shanker

Anthony Davis (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) has more than a dozen offers, and he has not started naming favorites yet. He does know one thing about his future school, however: It will not be close to home.

The Pittsburgh-area cornerback wants to get away from the area, naming West Virginia as the school closest to him he would consider going to. Pitt has not offered Davis.

“West Virginia is a good region,” said Davis, who lives about 90 minutes from the Mountaineers' campus.

The 6-foot, 175-pound defensive back has visited Morgantown, W.Va., a few times and has a comfortable connection with the program, which already has a commitment from Gateway teammate Ricky Rogers.

“It fits my personality,” Davis said. “I’ve been down there for a few games. I like the way they play, the way they get ready for their games.”

Penn State is a little more than a two-hour drive through the Pennsylvania mountains, and Davis visited the Nittany Lions for a junior day Feb. 23. He was offered on the visit and talks with the staff every week. The distance from home is an advantage for the Lions, but Penn State has more to offer than just a reprieve from the city of Pittsburgh.

Davis’ parents will be a major influence in his final decision, and the Lions have their approval, as well as Davis’.

“I definitely like them because it’s not too close to home but not far away,” he said, “and they preach academics, which is important to my parents and to me.”

Nebraska is one of the more recent programs to approach Davis, offering him last week. He said he does not know much about the Cornhuskers but is aware of the rich tradition in Lincoln.

“[The offer] was big-time,” Davis said, “because I never heard from them and they’re far away and I watch them on TV a lot, so it seemed not real when it happened.”